The Zero Check Thread

[gimp]

I've had horrendous experiences in the past with mounts letting go or just not holding zero (scope moving with the mount/base staying tight or the base letting go for whatever reason).

Now with the 'heavy' rifles, it's a solid one piece pic rail bedded or even glued and screwed down with a sintered material ring clamped with a good torque wrench and loctited to within an inch of it's life. Not sure if it was the move to heavy Nightforce scopes or just a run of average luck on the things, but since going to that methodology and component selection I have not had one move nor a zero shift at all, period. I don't tend to thud those around but am confident enough with the setup to use the scope as a handle.

Carry rifles with lighter scopes get one piece base/ring setups bedded/shimmed for level and checked for alignment, any issues that can't be cured by shims/bedding and the things are discarded replaced (I don't lap at all now). Again, no issues to date.

I'm very particular with the setup of the scopes now, aligned to the bore centerline as close as possible, all screws checked for almost full depth of engagement and seated with loctite and a torque wrench, scope reticles centered prior to fitting and checked to ensure the reticle is aligned with the elevation and windage screws, then levelled as close as possible to the centerline of the action.

As I said, since going down that route I haven't had a zero shift even with some horrendous knocks. One rifle got caught by a tree branch and flicked off a 4 wheeler breaking the straps on the rack and it bounced down a bank - not me driving and I didn't see it fly but the guy driving owned up which was something). After washing/cleaning the mud out of the scope there actually wasn't any damage at all, which surprised me. Cleaning the mud out of the suppressor was a real bitch of a job, first time I've ever seen a mud-plugged can.

Zero checks are usually 1 click in a direction, more than likely environmental or shooter error. More often than not I'm altering the zero adjustment due to an ammo change, looking at going back to reloading for everything I shoot which should help this.

Don't tell us - show us !

The point of this thread is to collect data that is as objective as possible

[No.3]

Don't tell us - show us !

The point of this thread is to collect data that is as objective as possible

I'll start taking pictures...